"Caucus for Priorities" endorses Edwards

A group that seeks cuts in military spending is endorsing Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. Iowans for Sensible Priorities, now known as Caucus for Priorities, is financed by Ben Cohen — the founder of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream empire.

Cohen says the group checked out all the different candidates and picked Edwards for three main reasons. "Based on his answers in our questionnairre — willing to cut $31 billion worth of Pentagon waste and based on his assessment of his viability going forward and thirdly, based on his willingness to embrace this issue and campaign on it," Cohen says.

The Caucus for Priorities group has been pushing for a 15 percent cut in the Defense Department’s budget for weapons they say are obsolete because of the end of the Cold War, and they want most of the money spent instead on a variety of priorities like education and renewable energy. According to Cohen, there are 10,000 Iowans who’ve signed onto the Caucus for Priorities effort and he says those Iowans are now going to back Edwards.

"We have a very extensive get-out-the-vote campaign that began a few weeks ago and will continue right up until January 3rd," Cohen says.

Cohen’s "Caucus for Priorities" group has never endorsed a candidate before. Also this week, the "Stop The Arms Race Political Action Committee" — known as STAR-PAC — endorsed New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson’s candidacy.